Sept. 19, 2007

EVANSTON, Ill.--Northwestern opened the cross country season with three strong finishes in the first three meets of the season. At 11 a.m. this Saturday, the Wildcats travel to Vernon Hills, Ill., to take part in the Forester Invitational.

"The Forester Invitational will be a good meet for some of our runners who did not race at the Fordham Invite and several others we have held out due to injuries," coach April Likhite said. "Our top seven will not be competing this weekend which allows them to get a good week of uninterrupted training and a break from three solid weeks of competition."

In the first three meets, junior Carly Brown (Kalispell, Mont./Flathead) has finished first on the team twice and second once. At the Illinois Intercollegiates on Saturday, senior Celia Franklin (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) led the team, finishing just ahead of Brown. The result continued Franklin's strong season as second-place finishes have come in the other two meets.